Fractured
by HollyJandHuddyfan
Summary: Brenna Carver travels to Gracepoint to visit her estranged father, Detective Emmett Carver. When Brenna shares some life-altering news, how will her father react? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Brenna Carver stood outside of a small police station. Even though this Bostonian teen was used to the cold, she couldn't help but to shiver as the cool March wind blew through the even tinier town of Gracepoint, California. Slowly, Brenna ascended up the cement steps and opened the double wooden doors. She walked up to a desk that was straight ahead. A female cop, who was sitting behind the desk looked up.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Detective Carver" Brenna told her.

"And you are?"

"Just tell him that Brenna is here to see him."

"And he'll know who you are?" the cop questioned, leaning forward.

"I should hope so considering I'm his daughter." The cop seemed taken-a-back by this statement before quickly gaining her composure.

"Please have a seat while I try his office phone." Brenna took a seat and began tapping her foot quickly while taking in the area around her. People were quickly walking in and out of their offices while frantically shouting to one another. This tense environment was a strong contrast to the quaint little town that lay outside its doors.

"Brenna!" Her head snapped up as she was pulled out of her thoughts. A tall thin, scruffy looking man hovered above her.

"Dad" Brenna said standing up. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Come into my office" he said, quickly turning around and walking away.

"It's nice to see you too" Brenna sarcastically muttered under her breath as she followed him. Once they were inside his office, Detective Carver shut the door behind them.

"Sit!" he commanded. So Brenna did.

"What are you doing here?" Detective Carver spat at her.

"I got your pathetic little voice mail and thought that you might actually be happy to see me. I was obviously wrong."

"No. I am happy to see you. But how'd you get all the way here? Does your mother know you're here? What about school?"

"Of course mom knows I'm here. She's the one who drove me to the airport. I took a bus from LA and then took a cab from the bus station to here. And it's Spring Break, so I'm not missing any school. That answer all of your little questions."

"Brenna, a child died here three weeks ago and another child went missing this morning. I'm just worried about you."

"Yeah, well, you have a funny way of showing it. Walking out on us five years ago and never bothering to contact us once until last week. Not for our birthdays. Not for Christmas. Not for anything. Yeah, Dad, you care about your family a whole lot." Detective Carver leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"I'm sorry if that's how you feel about me, Brenna."

"Whatever."

"Look, if you don't have anything urgent to tell me, I've got two cases that I'm needed on." Detective Carver said as he got up and headed towards the door. "I'll just..."

"April has cancer" Brenna blurted out. Detective Carver immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"What?" he sputtered.

"Yeah, Leukemia. Just thought you might like to know" Brenna said spitefully as she got up, brushing past her stunned father and walking out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Brenna angrily stormed through the front area and towards the station entrance. "Brenna!" Detective Carver shouted. "Brenna you come back here now." Brenna ignored him as she pushed the front doors open and felt the cool breeze hit her face. She kept walking until she saw a small cafe. Deciding a latte would do her some good right about now, Brenna walked in. There was a line of about three people in front of her. The person standing in front of her was a guy about April's age who was on the phone.

"Just give me another hour and I'll have all the changes on that article submitted to you...Yes, I was able to get all of the interviews conducted. Well, except for Jack's, but I don't blame the guy. I mean, with all these rumors floating around, he's bound to be wary of the press." Of course! A journalist. He and April would probably get along. Brenna thought that maybe she should chat him up and give him April's number. After all, April needed a new guy in her life. It had been far to long since she'd been on a proper date. Brenna knew that April recently had a crush on some guy at work, but he ended up being a piece of scum who slept with all of the office girls in order to boost his social status. Hopefully this guy wasn't anything like that. Pushing that thought out of her mind, Brenna straightened out her hair and tapped him on the shoulder. The guy spun around.

"Hi, I'm Brenna. I'm new around here."

"Owen Miller" the guy said, extending his hand, which Brenna shook.

"Anything good that you can recommend here?"

"Dpeneds, you more of the bold espresso type or the sweet latte type?" he asked, the double-meaning in his words quite evident.

"Well normally I'm a latte kind of girl, but I'm willing to go espresso any day."

"In that case, I recommend a double espresso cappuccino. I think you'll really like it."

"Thanks. I'll definitely give that a try."

"So where are you from?"

"Boston" Brenna replied.

"Nice city. I went there one summer while I was in college. I got an eight week internship at the 'Boston Globe'. Now, I'm working at the 'Gracepoint Journal'."

"Nice. My sister actually works at the 'Boston Globe'. She's hoping to get her first by-line later this month." Brenna knew that she just about had him hooked. Now all she had to do was cinch the deal.

"Funny you should mention that. I just got my first by-line at the 'San Francisco Globe' not even two weeks ago. Well, it was a shared by-line but, still, the money I got from that was phenomenal."

"That's great" Brenna told him as she went up to the counter and ordered her drink.

"So how long are you going to be in town for?" Owen asked.

"Not long. I fly out of LAX the day after tomorrow."

"What made you decide to come to Gracepoint?"

"Oh, you know, just needed to get away from the stresses of everyday life." Brenna said, not wanting to mention April's illness or her screwed up family dynamic system.

"Well, this is the perfect place for that." Seeing that this wasn't going anywhere, Brenna grabbed her drink and turned to walk away when Owen put his hand on her shoulder. "Say, why don't you come sit down with me and have your coffee while I help you de-stress a bit?" Brenna bit her lip. Was he hitting on her? No, this was not going according to plan at all. He was supposed to be interested in April, not her. Plus, Brenna was dating Greer and refused to hurt her like she had been hurt in the past. Still, Brenna didn't have anywhere else to go at the moment. "Sure," she told Owen. "I suppose I could take a few moments out of my life to just chill."


	3. Chapter 3

The pair had been sitting at a table talking about everything and anything. "So then my mom comes out with this bone-dry, overcooked Turkey and my grandma, who is totally wasted by this point, leans over the table and..." Brenna was saying when Owen decided to lean over and press his lips into hers. Brenna stayed there frozen for a moment before pushing him away. "Owen. I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I'm seeing someone."

"Brenna, wait!" he called out, but she had already gotten up and was running out of the cafe, by this point. Before long, Brenna ended up on the edge of a beach. Still consumed by everything that had happened that day, Brenna walked onto the beach and sat down on the sand. She pulled out her phone and noticed that there were three voicemails from her mom and two texts from Greer. She opened the first text:

**GREER: **Brenna, I don't feel right lying to your mom. I think she's starting to get suspicious and I am a terrible liar. What do I do?

Brenna shook her head. Typical Greer. Hopefully Greer covered for her long enough for her to get back home without raising suspicion. She then opened up the second text:

**GREER:** Brenna, I am so sorry. Your mom found out you're in California. I swear I didn't say anything! I think she's gonna call your dad. IDK. You should probably call her before she does something drastic like fly out there and bring you home herself. Good luck Brenna. Keep me posted. I love you, k?

Crap! That probably explains the three voicemails from her mom. Brenna was terrified to listen to them let alone actually call her mom back. She knew logically that the sooner she got this over with, the better. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't put it off for a few more minutes, right? However, fate had other ideas.

"Excuse me, miss. But this is a crime scene." Brenna looked up. She saw a short, balding male cop standing only a few feet behind her.

"Huh? What do you mean a crime scene?"

"This beach is lined with tape." Brenna looked around and saw that there was indeed a long line of police tape all along the beach. Crap! She had been so preoccupied with the cafe incident that she hadn't even noticed it. "Put your hands behind your back. You're under arrest for disturbing a crime scene. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law."

"But I didn't see it. Let me go and I'll leave. I promise."

"You have the right to an attorney" the cop continued. "If you cannot afford one..."

"My dad's a cop here" Brenna blurted out. "Give him a call."

"Who's your dad?"

"Emmett Carver."

"Nice try, but Detective Carver has never once mentioned anything about having kids."

"Call him," Brenna urged. "He'll tell you."

"Fine," the cop said as he sat Brenna down in the back of the squad car with her hands cuffed behind her. "But if you're lying..."

"I'm not" Brenna protested. The cop shut the door and dialed Detective Carver's number.


	4. Chapter 4

The cop was on the phone for what seemed like an eternity. Brenna felt tears sting her eyes. She couldn't believe that her father was so ashamed of his family that, apart form not having any pictures of them on his desk, he didn't once bother to mention their existence to anyone. Why did he hate them so much? Brenna didn't even know why he walked out on them. She was only ten-years-old at the time and supposed that her mom thought that she was too young to be told the truth. What about now? Wasn't she old enough to be told the truth now? Brenna blinked the tears in her eyes away and took a deep breath. She looked out the window and saw that the cop was still on his phone. This couldn't be good. A couple of minutes later, Brenna saw him hang up the phone. He then opened the car door.

"Alright, Brenna, I spoke with Detective Carver and your story checked out. The station will not be pressing any kind of charges against you." Brenna breathed a sigh of relief. "He did ask me to give you a ride to the station. He'll be meeting you there."

"Thanks!" Brenna responded. "Mind undoing these cuffs for me?"

"Of course" the cop said coming around and undoing them for her.

"Whew! Thanks. That feels loads better." The cop didn't say anything. Instead he got into the car and drove them to the station. They arrived only a few minutes later. Both the cop and Brenna walked into the police station. The cop went over and exchanged a few words with another cop.

"Your father is in his office. You can go in there now. Do you know where it is?" Brenna nodded. "Ok, have a nice day Miss Carver."

"Thanks." Brenna made her way over to Detective Carver's office and knocked.

"I'm busy" he called out.

"It'e me, Brenna." She didn't hear anything and, just when she was about to turn around and leave, the door opened.

"Get in here" he sneered. Brenna walked in amd sat down while Detective Carver slammed the door shut behind her and locked it. "You haven't even been here one day, Brenna, and already I've had to bail you out of trouble. Did you know that disturbing a crime scene is considered a Felony? Not only could you have landed yourself in Juvenile Detention, but you could have very well put my job on the line, Brenna."

"I'm sorry. I was distracted and didn't see the tape."

"I had just finished speaking with your mother when Detective Allen called. Your mother said that she never drove you to the airport. She didn't even know where you were. In fact, she's been trying to call you and hasn't been able to get through. You lied to me, Brenna. How am I supposed to believe anything you say? For all I now, you lied to me about April having cancer!" Tears filled Brenna's eyes.

"Ok, fine, I lied to you about telling mom and I'm sorry. But I would never lie about something as serious as cancer. And if you had stuck around, you would have known that about me."

"Is that what this is all about? Some elaborate guilt-trip?"

"No, I..."

"You know what? I don't care. I'm up to my neck with both a murder investigation and missing child case. I don't have time for your stupid teenage drama. Next time you go off and do something stupid, don't expect me to bail you out. Now I suggest you leave and go call your mother."

"Fine," Brenna spat back. "I guess potentially losing one daughter isn't enough for you. You know what? If you don't want me in your life, I'll just disappear for good. Will that make you happy?"

"I've got to go to a debriefing now. Stay here and call your mother while you wait. I should be back here in about 20 minutes. We'll talk more then."

"Don't expect me to hold my breath" Brenna sarcastically said. Detective Carver ignored her and just got up and left.


	5. Chapter 5

Brenna took out her cell phone and nervously dialed her mom's work number. "Hello, Dr. Carver's office. This is Janice speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hey, Janice. It's Brenna. Can you put me through to my mom?"

"Hi Brenna! Yes, of course! Hold on for just one moment." Brenna heard the phone ring a couple of times before her mom picked up.

"Dr. Carver speaking."

"Um...hey mom. It's me."

"Brenna! Oh my God! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm sitting in Dad's office right now. He's in some sort of de-briefing thing. All I have to say is what a douche. Do you know that he never once told anyone here about us? And, even worse, the freaking a-hole thought I was lying about April having cancer."

"You told him about April? Brenna, you don't just get on a plane and fly all the way to California without bothering to tell me. I've been worried sick about you. The only reason I know where you are now is that your father called me earlier in order to yell at me for allowing a minor to fly cross-country unaccompanied. Speaking of which, where did you get the money to pay for this trip?"

"Work."

"Sweetie, you've only been working there for a month and at minimum wage, might I add. There's no way that you could have paid for a roundtrip ticket, bus ticket and a cab fare on your salary alone."

"Well, um...Greer might have helped out a bit."

"How much is 'a bit'?"

"Um...possibly in the area of $300."

"Brenna!"

"I know. And I'm sorry. But April needs a bone marrow donor desperately and since you, me, grandma and Uncle George aren't matches I thought..."

"You're father could get tested and see if he's a match."

"Exactly! Guess that was a pretty stupid idea, though. I mean, there's no way Dad is ever going to get tested. He hates us."

"He doesn't hate us, Brenna. He just has a lot on his plate and you essentially appeared out of thin-air. He didn't know what to do. Granted he handled this whole thing very poorly, but he loves both you and April very much. I promise you that."

"I guess."

"Have you given any thought as to how you're going to pay Greer back?"

"Absolutely! I'm going to give her half of my pay checks until everything is payed off."

"And Greer agreed to this?"

"It was her idea."

"Ok." Sara sighed. "Brenna I'm very disappointed that you lied to both me and your father. And we're going to have a talk about that when you get back, but I understand why you did what you did. Your intentions were good."

"Thanks so much for understanding mom. So, how's April doing?"

"I didn't want to tell you this until after you got back, but April is in the hospital.

"Oh my God! What happened?"

"She got dizzy, fell down and hit her head." The doctor says she has contusions on her brain.

"What's a contusion?"

"Bruising. Brenna, she's ok. They're just keeping her for observation because she's at a slightly higher risk for bleeding in the brain. Once she's healed they're going to talk to her about starting her Chemo treatments."

"Ok. Mom, please tell April I love her and I miss her and..." Brenna started crying, "and that I hope she feels better."

"I will. And I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks."

"And Brenna? Give your father a chance ok? He's going through a lot too right now."

"Ok. Bye mom" Brenna said before hanging up and wiping away her tears. Brenna looked up and almost jumped out of her seat when she saw her father standing in the doorway.

"What do I have to do to donate?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Geez. You scared the hell out of me." Detective Carver merely shrugged.

"I'm going to ask you again. What do I have to do to donate?"

"How long were you standing there for? How much did you hear?"

"Enough. Now, Brenna answer the damn question" he yelled as he sat down at his desk and leaned forward, glaring at her.

"Um...I don't know really. I mean, I know that they do a blood test to see whether or not you're a match. But, beyond that, I really don't know. Why don't you call Uncle George? He should know."

"Right. So I guess you're going to want to talk about this some." He took a deep breath. "You have to understand, this isn't easy for me. I'm not exactly the best person to talk to about all this emotional stuff. But I suppose I could try listening. I at least owe you that much." Brenna looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"This isn't easy for me either. April can easily die from this. So, unless you truly want in, don't even bother trying to pretend that you care. Because this is MY sister we're talking about."

"I honestly do care, but..."

"I caught you at a bad time?"

"More like the worst time. Brenna your timing couldn't have possibly been worse."

"I am so sorry that April got cancer now of all times. I mean, how inconsiderate of her to not wait until it was more convenient for you" Brenna yelled at him. "You know what? I am so sorry I came. It was obviously a horrible mistake." Brenna got up.

"Brenna, wait!"

"What?"

"I'm...I'm sorry, OK?"

"Yeah. Sure you are."

"Look, I don't expect you to believe me, but at least tell me what I can do to help."

"Well, for starters, you can find me a place to stay until Tuesday."

"I'll see what I can do about getting you a room at the Inn. Anything else?"

"Just...please don't hate me or April. Or at least don't hate April. She could really use you right now." Detective Carver responded with a quick nod.

"So did you really not see the police tape on the beach?" Brenna shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I was just really distracted, I guess."

"By our little spat this morning?"

"Partially," Brenna nervously responded, looking down at her lap and playing with her hands.

"What was the other part?"

"Nothing."

"Brenna, look at me." Brenna slowly lifted her head until her eyes met his. "What happened?" He leaned forward and stared at her, waiting for her to respond."

"Just some stupid little nothing incident that happened at the cafe right after I left here. Seriously don't worry about it."

"It apparently distracted you enough that you didn't see bright yellow tape all along the beach."

"I already apologized for that!"

"I know. Now tell me what happened."

"Fine. Some creeper dude came up to me at the cafe and basically came onto me, but he didn't actually do anything...except for maybe grab me and kiss me." Brenna whispered that last part.

"Did you get a name?"

"He was some reporter dude."

"Brenna! Learn to listen. Do you or do you not know his name?" Brenna nodded.

"Who is it?"

"Owen Miller."

"Son of a bitch!" Detective Carver popped up. "Don't move," he shouted while pointing his finger at Brenna. He then stormed out of his office leaving a rattled Brenna behind.


	7. Chapter 7

While Brenna waited, she decided to txt Greer to keep her in the loop.

**BRENNA: Hey! Got ur messages a little while ago. Thanks so much for helping. Spoke w/my mom. Everything's ok w/that. She told me April's in the hospital. Bruising on the brain, but doc says she should be ok. Coming home this Tues. Love you! **

A couple of minutes later, she received a txt back.

**GREER: Oh my God! I am so sorry to hear about April. Is she going to be starting Chemo now that she's in the hospital? Also, how are things with you and your dad?**

Brenna was about to txt Greer back when the door flew open. "Is everyone in this station an incompetent moron?" Detective Carver yelled as he stormed into his office.

"Um...I'm still right here" Brenna nervously announced.

"Right, Brenna. You're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Just get up and move it!" So Brenna did. "The Police Chief decided that I needed some time off" he explained once they were outside of the station. "You're coming to the Inn with me and then we're headed off to Boston. What flight are you on?"

"Leaving LAX at 12:30pm on Tuesday and what happened? Why are they forcing you to take time off? And for how long?"

"For two weeks and because I felt a little dizzy once while doing field work, the Chief suddenly thinks I'm in no condition to work."

"Dizziness. That's how it started with April" Brenna mused aloud.

"I'm not like April" he sneered. "I'm fine."

"Ok," Brenna responded, not at all convinced. "Well, at least you get a nice two-week vacation."

"Yeah, and at a critical point too."

"At least you can come and see April now."

"Fat lot of good I'll be to her".

"You'll be helping her just by being there and offering her moral support. Trust me!" Detective Carver ignored her, instead picking up his pace and rounding a corner. "What'd I say?" Brenna wondered aloud. She was just about to run and catch up with him when she heard someone call out her name. Brenna spun around only to find Owen standing right there.

"Brenna, what happened before at the Cafe? You just up and left."

"You kissed me!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that you were seeing someone?" Owen shouted.

"You know now" Brenna argued. "Yet here you are." Joe grabbed Brenna by the arm.

"You want to know what I think? You are nothing more than a pathetic little tease."

"Let go of me!" Brenna shouted as she struggled to pull away. This caused Joe to tighten his grip.

"Slut!" he sneered.

"Miller, let her go or so help me God!" they both heard a threatening voice say. Owen immediately let go of Brenna's arm.

"Hey, Detective Carver. Didn't see you standing there."

"Well, that's obvious" Detective Carver spat.

"We were just messing around. Right Brenna?" Brenna remained silent. Detective Carver then walked right up to Owen and got in his face.

"This is your only warning, Miller. Stay the hell away from my daughter. Now go home!"

"Yes, sir" Owen nervously responded as he turned around and walked away. Detective Carver then turned towards Brenna.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. Now try to keep up this time. There's still a murderer and a kidnapper out on the loose."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

"He bothers you again, you let me now. If you're out somewhere, go find someplace safe and call me. Understand?"

"Absolutely."

"Good."

"So, how much further is it to the Inn?"

"Not far. It's only a two-minute walk from here."

"Can we get something to eat. I'm starving!"

"You didn't eat at the Cafe?" Brenna shook her head.

"I haven't had anything to eat since last night." Detective Carver stopped in his tracks.

"Are you deliberately trying to starve yourself?"

"No," Brenna protested. "I didn't have time to eat." Detective Carver gave her a questioning look. "I was up at 3am for a 6am flight this morning," Brenna explained. "The flight was about 6 hours. Then I had to take a bus from LA to the station outside of town. Afterwards, I had to wait to get a cab from there to the Police Station. I traveled for a total of 10 hours today."

"I have a can of Tuna in the room. You can eat that."

"Yum, Tuna" Brenna sarcastically responded.

"It's your fault for not finding five minutes during that 10 hour period to grab something to eat."

"If there's only one can of Tuna in the room, then what are you going to eat tonight?"

"I'll grab something on my way back to work."

"I thought you were on leave."

"I am. Just need to pick up a couple of things from my office."

"Oh, ok." The duo then continued the rest of their walk in complete silence.


	8. Chapter 8

Brenna was sitting upstairs in the hotel room alone. The Inn was booked with reporters from all over the state, so she and Detective Carver had no choice but to share a hotel room. Gemma, the owner of the Inn, did bring up a cot for no extra charge as a sort of thanks for all of Detective Carver's hard work on Gracepoint's very first murder case. Brenna didn't want to jump to conclusions, but she could sense some sort of spark between the two. Brenna wasn't about to play matchmaker though. She tried that earlier and saw just how well that had turned out. Once Brenna was finished with the can of Tuna, she searched the hotel room for some more food, only to come up empty. Brenna grabbed a pen and pad from the nightstand and scribbled a note to her father:

**Left to get some food. **

**Be back soon.**

**xo- Brenna**

Brenna then grabbed her bag and left, making sure to lock the door behind her. She was walking down the town's mainstreet when she heard someone call out her name. Brenna spun around.

"Hey, dad! Funny bumping into you. Say, you don't happen to know where the nearest grocery store is, do you?"

"What are you doing out here past dark and by yourself, nonetheless? Do you want to get yourself killed?" he shouted at her. Brenna took a step back.

"No," she meekly responded. "I did leave you a note on the nightstand of your room. And I was going to go straight back after picking up some groceries."

"And how long would that have taken? You don't even know where the nearest grocery store is, do you? SO you would have been wandering around alone in an unknown city at night. Do you see what I'm getting at here, Brenna?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't sure when you'd be back and one small can of Tuna isn't going to hold me over until tomorrow."

"I suppose we should pick up a couple of things. Not too much, though. And nothing perishable or that needs to be heated. The room doesn't have a fridge or a microwave."

"How about cereal and Pop Tarts?" Brenna suggested.

"Fine, and I'll pick up a couple of bananas too. Your mom will most likely give me an earful if I don't give you at least one healthy thing to eat." Brenna giggled.

"That does sound like mom. Oh, can we pickup some Ginger Ale too?"

"Since when do you like Ginger Ale?"

"Since Greer talked me into having one a couple of months back. She said it's like having soda, but healthier. And she's right. "

"Who's Greer?"

"A really good friend" Brenna responded, smiling to herself.

"Oh, ok. Yeah, we can pick some up." A couple of minutes later, they reached the town's Mini-Mart. Brenna grabbed a shopping basket.

"How many bananas do you want me to get?"

"Two." They both gathered a couple of items before meeting at the checkout line. "Brenna, I already got cereal. Put it back."

"But I like Coco Puffs."

"The Cheerios are on sale, so that's what we're getting."

"Fine," Brenna moaned as she rolled her eyes. She then spun around and put the box back. By the time she returned, she saw that Detective Carver had already paid and was standing at the front of the store holding two plastic bags.

"Can you believe it? $20 for two days worth of food? That's why I always hate coming to these sorts of places. They nickle and dime you for everything. It's a good thing you're leaving the day after tomorrow because I don't see how I can keep doing this." Brenna stopped dead in her tracks.

"What?" she sputtered.


	9. Chapter 9

"How could you say that?" Brenna continued. "Do you really want to get rid of me that bad? And here I was stupid enough to think that you were actually going to stick to your word and come home with me in two days." By this point Detective Carver had stopped as well. "Just tell me one thing. What did I ever do to you to make you hate me?"

"I don't hate you."

"Then why do you treat me like dirt?"

"I wasn't aware that I was."

"Well, you are!"

"I'm...sorry?"

"Whatever. Let's just get back to the Inn. I'm exhausted."

"Right!" Detective Carver muttered, hung up on what his daughter had just said. When they got back to the hotel room, Brenna sat down on the cot while Detective Carver took all the items out of the two bags. "Poptart or banana?" Detective Carer asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Don't care" Brenna muttered, not bothering to look up.

"If you get hungry, all the food is laid out on the dresser."

"Thanks."

"Yep." Brenna took out her phone and saw there was a txt from her mom.

**MOM: **April's awake.

**BRENNA:** Really? That's great! Can I talk to her?

**MOM: **Not yet. She's still really out of it.

**BRENNA: **Have her txt or call me when she's up to it.

**MOM: **Will do. How are things going with you and your dad?

**BRENNA: **We went food shopping and are sharing a hotel room.

**MOM: **Glad to hear you two haven't killed each other yet.

**BRENNA: **Don't jinx it.

**MOM: **I'll talk to you more tomorrow. I love you.

**BRENNA: **Love you too mom!

Brenna then put her phone away. "Who was that?" Detective Carver asked.

"Mom" Brenna responded. "She wanted to tell me that April's awake now.

"Good," Detective Carver responded. "Glad to hear she's doing OK."

"Are you?" Brenna asked, finally looking at him.

"Of course I am! Why would you think otherwise?"

"Just have a funny way of showing it is all." Brenna got up and grabbed a Poptart and a can of Ginger Ale.

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't been around much, but..."

"Much? Try ever." Brenna took a seat and opened her Ginger Ale.

"Brenna, let me finish." Brenna nodded. "Do you know why I left?"

"No, Mom never told me. No matter how much I asked." She took a sip of her drink.

"Your mom, she loves you and April very much, but...five years ago I walked in on her sleeping with the brother of one of her patient's. I was mad. Well, mad and hurt, so I left. Left in the middle of the night and stayed in a hotel for a few days until I got my transfer request approved. The only place willing to take me on such short notice was Gracepoint. So, I left Boston and never looked back." Brenna put her stuff down and angrily stood up.

"I don't believe you. Why would you be so cruel and lie about something like that?" She grabbed her bag and phone. "Look, I don't know what you have against my mom, but I will not let you turn me against her!" Brenna headed towards the door.

"Brenna, damn it! Get back here!" Detective Carver went to go chase after her when he suddenly felt a sharp shooting pain in the side of his chest.

"Agh!" he cried out as he fell to his knees, clutching his chest. Brenna immediately ran to his side.

"Dad! What's wrong?"

"Chest hurts! Can't breathe."

"I'm calling 911."

"No. Don't. Just let me die here in peace."

"You're an idiot if you think I'm going to let that happen."


	10. Chapter 10

The next few hours were a blur for Brenna. From when she made the 911 call, to when she was sitting in the back of the ambulance next to her father, to when the doctors took him into an examination room and made her wait in the waiting room. Brenna was too numb to feel fear or anger or to even cry. She felt completely detached from her surroundings almost as if this were all a dream. Brenna was finally pulled back into reality when she heard her name being called. She looked up and saw a man, whom she assumed to be a doctor, standing in front of her.

"Excuse me. Are you Brenna Carver?"

"Yeah, I am. Is my dad going to be alright?"

"He's fine. He just had a panic attack."

"Can I see him?

"Of course! Follow me." Brenna got up and followed the doctor into an examination area. "He's right behind this curtain. My name is Doctor Harvey. If you or your father have any questions or concerns just have one of the nurses page me."

"Ok, thank you." Doctor Harvey nodded before walking away. Breanna pulled back the curtain and saw Detective Carver lying down with his eyes closed. "Dad?" Brenna tenatively called out.

"Detective Carver slowly opened up his eyes. Brenna immediately ran over. "Oh Dad! Thank God you're alright! I was so scared."

"Not going down that easily." Brenna smiled. Suddenly a huge pang of guilt washed over her. He would not have had this panic attack and, as a result, wouldn't be lying here in the hospital if it weren't for her. Tears filled Brenna's eyes.

"I am so sorry."

"For what?"

"I'm the reason you had a panic attack and the reason why you're in the hospital now." Detective Carver shook his head.

"Brenna, do you know how many arguments I get into everyday? Basically with everyone I interact with. Point is, any one of those arguments could have triggered it. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Good. Because if I hear you blaming yourself one more time..."

"I won't blame myself anymore. I promise."

"Good. So what time is it?" Brenna took out her phone and looked at the display on her screen. "Do you not own a watch?" Detective Carver snidely asked her.

"No, why would I when I have a clock on my phone?"

"The phone you have to dig out of that over sized purse of yours whenever you want to know the time."

"Whatever."

"That's it. I'm buying you a watch."

"Cool. Oh, by the way, it's 9:45 pm now."

"Did you ever have a chance to eat that Pop Tart back in the room?" Brenna shook her head. "OK, we'll grab a bite to eat once I get out, which better be soon."

"I can go ask one of the nurses if they know when your getting out."

"Thanks Brenna."

"No problemo." She got up and walked over to the nurses station. "Excuse me?" Brenna called out. A nurse walked over.

"Yes?"

"Hi, my name is Brenna Carver. I'm just wondering if you know when my dad, Emmett Carver is going to be released."

"Hold on one second." She went over to a computer and typed something in. A minute later, she returned to Brenna. "We're just waiting on a Psych consult. The psychiatrist will then make a recommendation as to when he'll be released." Brenna sighed. This was not going to go over well.

"Thank you" Brenna said through gritted teeth. She then turned around and walked back over to where her dad was.

"Well?" Detective Carver asked Brenna the moment she returned.

"Please promise me that you'll remain calm no matter what."

"Brenna what is going on?"

"Just please promise me, ok?"

"Not until you tell me what is going on!" Tears filled Brenna's eyes. "What the hell did they tell you that has you so scared?"

"They're sending down a psychiatrist to evaluate you" Brenna quickly spit out. "I need to to be calm so they don't find any reason to hold you or lock you up, ok?"

"A Psychiatrist? A fucking Psychiatrist?" he bellowed. Brenna tensed up, which was immediately noticed by Detective Carver. "Fine. I'll stay calm. For you."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Brenna squealed as she ran over and gave Detective Carver a quick hug.


	11. Chapter 11

Fifteen minutes later, a woman with curly brown hair walked in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Palkins" she announced.

"Hi, I'm Brenna. This is my Dad, Emmett Carver. He hates being called Emmett, though. Just an FYI." Dr. Palkins nodded in acknowledgement.

"Nice to meet you Brenna, Mr. Carver."

"Detective Carver" he corrected. "Detective not Mr."

"I'll be sure to remember that." Dr. Palkins turned to Brenna. "Brenna, I need to speak with your father alone. Please just step out into the waiting room for a few minutes. I'll come get you when we're done."

"Sure thing. See you in a few, Dad." She then got up and left. Once Brenna was seated in the waiting room she turned on her phone and saw that she had a txt from April. Brenna immediately opened it.

**APRIL: Hey you! Mom told me that you're visiting Dad. How's that going?**

**BRENNA: Well, it's definitely been an adventure. haha! So how are you? How are you feeling?**

**APRIL: Pretty good, actually. They've got me on some heavy-duty painkillers, so I'm not fully lucid. But, hey, at least I'm not in that much pain now.**

**BRENNA: That's good. Think you could hook me up with some of those pills? Just kidding. Anyway, do you know when you're going to start your Chemo yet?**

**APRIL: They're going to fun some preliminary tests once I'm fully healed. Make sure all of my blood counts are high enough. If they are, then we'll look into when I'm going to start and go from there.**

**BRENNA: Good luck! And feel better sis!**

**APRIL: Thanks! I'm going to go to sleep now, but I promise I'll keep you posted.**

**BRENNA: Ok. Love ya! **

Brenna then sent Greer a txt saying that April was awake and feeling better. She then put her phone away and just waited. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Palkins walked over to Brenna.

"Is my Dad ok?" Brenna blurted out.

"He's fine" Dr. Palkins assured Brenna. "His blood pressure his high, though, so he is going to need to take medication for that and follow a low-sodium diet."

"Sodium is salt, right?" Dr. Palkins nodded.

"I also recommended that he speak with a therapist once a week in order to help reduce his level of stress."

"And how did he react to that?" Brenna nervously asked.

"Quite well actually."

"Seriously? My Dad actually agreed to see a therapist?"

"Yes, is that so hard to believe?"

"Um...no. Not at all. So, can go and see him now?"

"He's getting changed and then he has to sign a couple of forms. I told him to meet you out here once he's done with everything. I don't see this taking any more than 15 minutes."

"Ok, thanks!"

"Oh, Brenna, there is one more thing. If you notice anything. If your father isn't going to therapy or experiences any chest pain or shortness of breath, basically anything out of the norm, please give me a call." She handed Brenna her business card.

"Will do."

"Thank you. Take care."

"I will." While Brenna waited, she checked her phone. Greer had sent Brenna a response.

**GREER: Thanks so much for updating me. Give April my love and tell her she's in my thoughts.**

**BRENNA: I'll definitely pass on the message.**

A minute later, Brenna's phone began ringing.

"Hello?" Brenna answered.

"Hey love bird" she heard Greer say. "Listen, I was wondering if you had any plans for the Saturday after you get back."

"No, why?"

"I think it's about time you and I went on a proper date. Don't you?"

"Oh, absolutely. So what do you have planned for this little date of ours?"

"That my sweet Brenna is a surprise."

"Oohh! Looking forward to it."

"Excellent. I'll pick you up from your place at 6pm?"

"I'll be ready."

"Love you, Brenna."

"Love you more, Greer."

"I doubt it" Greer teased before hanging up. Brenna smiled to herself as she put her phone away, wondering what Greer had up her sleeve.

"E hem!" Brenna's head snapped up. Detective Carver was hovering over her with a look of fury on her face. His arms were folded and he gave her a glare that sent chills up her spine. "Explain!"


	12. Chapter 12

"Explain what exactly?" Brenna nervously inquired.

"Greer is a girl, correct?" Brenna nodded. "And you just told her that you loved her, right?"

"Yeah, so? I love all of my friends."

"Ok, but do you go out on dates with all of them?"

"Define date."

"Brenna, don't play smart with me! Are you or are you not dating another girl? Just answer yes or no." Brenna bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

"Well, Brenna?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"What the hell? Is this some sort of cry for attention?"

"No! I love Greer with all my heart."

"What, you can't find any boys to date, so you turn into a fucking lesbian?" Brenna noticed that other people ion the waiting room were starting to stare at them.

"Dad, can we not do this here please?"

"Fine." He grabbed Brenna by the arm and dragged her out of the hospital. They walked a couple of blocks before Detective Carver stopped short and spun around. "Start talking."

"Greer and I go to school together. She's super sweet and smart. She's an honor's student, is president of Eco club and…"

"Did I ask you for her biographical details?"

"You told me to start talking. I don't know what you want me to say."

"How about you start by telling me why you suddenly like girls instead of boys."

"Oh, suddenly. Like you've actually been around long enough to know the history of my dating life. Oh, by the way, I'm bisexual. So l like both guys and girls" she stated in a snarky tone.

"Is that so? You know, Brenna, I'm very interested to hear how your mother feels about this?"

"Actually, mom's totally supportive of our relationship. In fact, she thinks Greer's been a positive influence on me."

"Well, I beg to differ."

"Fine. You're entitled to your own opinion, but..."

"Brenna, I forbid you from seeing this girl again."

"What? You can't make me."

"I can and I will."

"In two days none of this is going to matter since I'll be on the other side of the country."

"And I'll be headed back with you."

"Oh, so suddenly you decide to care."

"Brenna, I've always…"

"Whatever! Just leave me alone. You're good at that." With that said, Brenna ran as fast as she could, her sneakers pounding hard against the pavement. Brenna kept yelling despite her father shouting at her to come back. Finally, his shouts faded into the distance. A couple of minutes later, Brenna came upon a park. It was empty and eerily quiet. The moonlight was just bright enough for Brenna to make out the outline of a swing set and a couple of benches. There were no other lights around. Brenna headed over to one of the benches and took out her phone. She was just about to sit down when she felt a hand cover her mouth. Brenna quickly hit the '1' key on her phone before she was pulled away, both her phone and purse falling onto the ground. Brenna was kicking and struggling to get free. But it was no use. The person's grip was too tight.

"Stop struggling! If you cooperate you won't get hurt." Brenna stopped moving. "That's good. I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth. You scream and I'll shoot you. Got it?" Brenna nodded, tears falling down her face. He removed his hand.

"What do you want from me?"

"I need you for insurance."

"What do you mean?"

"You know the Solano case?"

"Yeah, the one with the little boy who was murdered. The police still haven't found the killer."

"Maybe not. But the killer's found you." Brenna felt a chill go down her spine and her heart began racing.

"You…you killed… that…that boy" Brenna sputtered.

"And if you don't do exactly as I say, I'm going to kill you as well." At this point time seemed to slow for Brenna and her senses suddenly became hyper-sensitive.

"What do you want me to do?" she finally whispered.

"Come with me. I'm going to need to you as leverage with your father in order to get him to close this case."

"He'd never do that. Now please just let me go. I promise I won't tell anyone about tonight." The guy pushed Brenna to the ground and placed his knee on her back.

"Oh, I know you won't be telling anyone about tonight." Brenna felt something cold and hard being pressed against the back of her head. She closed her eyes and pleaded to God. Brenna was not ready to die yet. After all, she was only 15 and still had so much to experience. Suddenly a voice broke through the silence.

"Drop the gun and release the girl!"


	13. Chapter 13

The guy dropped the gun, but still had a firm grip on Brenna.

"I said, release the girl." The guy just stood there motionless. A few seconds later, Detective Carver tackled the guy to the ground, causing him to release his grip on Brenna. She quickly backed away. Detective Carver held him down. "Joe Miller you are under citizens arrest for the attempted murder and kidnapping of Brenna Carver and the murder of Danny Solano."

"She's your daughter? I had no idea."

"Like hell you didn't! I heard every word you said. Now shut up!" Detective Carver yelled in his face as he tightened his hold on Joe. "Anything you say..." Detective Carver's voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of approaching sirens. Soon there were two cop cars in sight. They stopped and a total of four officers stepped out. One of the officers had to pull Detective Carver off, who was fighting against their grip.

"This piece of scum threatened my daughter! I want him locked up and left to rot in a jail cell."

"Calm down, Carver the officer said. "Go and take care of your daughter." Detective Carver nodded, but not before giving Joe Miller one last glare. He then reluctantly turned around and headed towards Brenna. "God damn it!" he muttered under his breath when he saw a woman frantically running towards Joe.

"What the hell is going on? Why do you have my husband in handcuffs?" Brenna flinched at the sound of Detective Ellie Miller's yelling. She hadn't done anything wrong, at least she thought she didn't. Yet Brenna was sure this cop was going to hate her for having her husband arrested. Brenna had gotten herself into a huge mess, one that she had little hope of getting herself out of. Brenna began crying for what was probably the 100th time that night when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Brenna involuntarily jumped and shrieked.

"Relax! It's only me." She tentatively turned around and saw Detective Carver standing there.

"I am so sorry" Brenna sobbed. "I really screwed things up for you."

"Brenna, shh!" He patted her on the back. "You didn't screw things up. In fact, had it not been for you, we may have never found Danny's killer. Now, why don't we go grab a quick bite to eat? Then I think a hot shower and a good night's sleep are in order" he told her. "You are going to have to make a statement down at the station, but the Chief agreed to let you do that tomorrow afternoon."

"What am I going to have to say for this statement?"

"Just explain everything that happened here tonight. Everything he said and did to you." Brenna nervously nodded.

"Can you be there with me?"

"Sorry, can't. That would be a conflict of interest since I'm the one leading this case. You'll do great on your own, though."

"I wish I shared your confidence."

"So," Detective Carver stated, trying to quickly change the subject, "there's not much open now as far as restaurants go. There's a diner, a Chinese place and..."

"Chinese sounds good!"

"Chinese it is then. The place isn't too far from here."

"Um...dad? That woman, the wife of the guy who grabbed me tonight, do you think she hates me?"

"No. She's just in shock that her husband did all this. It'll just take some time for everything to sink in."

"I know the feeling" Brenna muttered as she allowed Detective Carver to lead her away form the park.

"Oh, I thought you might want these back" he said, handing Brenna both her purse and phone."

"Thanks." Brenna put her phone back inside her purse and threw her purse strap over her shoulder.

"Yep. Smart thing you did back there, by the way. Calling my number and putting it on speaker. It allowed me to hear everything he said and track your phone and, by default, find both you and him."

"Thanks. Mom told me to put all of my important numbers on speed dial and to have my GPS enabled on my phone in case something like this were to happen."

"Well, that was good thinking on your mom's part then."

"Yep."

"Did he hurt you?" Detective Carver asked Brenna once they reached the Chinese restaurant. Brenna shook her head. "Good. I'm going to call your mom once we get back to our room at the Inn. She deserves to know what happened."

"But I'm fine. There's no need to worry her over nothing."

"Brenna, this is not _nothing. _I am telling your mom. End of discussion" he stated as they both entered the restaurant.


End file.
